Newspaper mistakes rapper for new United signing
Everyone can be forgiven for mistaking faces now and again.
But when it’s reporting on hype over a football deal worth millions, you’d think you’d make sure you’ve got the right guy.
Irish newspaper The Herald has been taken to the cleaners after mistaking English rapper Stormzy for football star Romelu Lukaku in an article detailing his move to Manchester United.
Stormzy, a well- known United fan, had a photo of him wearing his team’s tracksuit plastered across the back page under the headline “Lukaku is ready to work” with the caption “New Manchester United signing Romelu Lukaku.”
Stormzy ( birth name Michael Omari) has previously joked about his uncanny resemblance to the Belgian star.
But he wasn’t having a bar of this press bungle, tweeting his distaste soon after the newspaper was published.
“I don’t find none of this funny btw,” he t weeted. “I don’t wanna sound like the party pooper who missed the joke.”
The Irish Herald were quick to apologise for the blunder, admitting they got it “badly wrong”.
“Hands up, we got it badly wrong,” Herald editor Alan Steenson said.
“Earlier, we made an error with a picture of Romelu Lukaku that wasn’t him. It was Stormzy.
“To be honest, we are totally embarrassed and want to say sorry to all involved and our readers for the error. We will keep our eye on the ball in future.”
Lukaku joined Manchester United in a deal worth £ 75 million after scoring 25 Premier League goals to help Everton place seventh last season.
It’s not the first time a newspaper has royally mistaken celebrities in photographs this year, either.
Alec Baldwin’s impression of Donald Trump fooled a national newspaper into thinking he was the firebrand US President.
El Nacional in the Dominican Republic was forced to apologise after running an image of the Oscarnominated actor playing Trump on Saturday Night Live.
The publication used the picture alongside a still of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in an article about settlements in the Middle Eastern country.
The Baldwin picture was supplied with information about the longrunning NBC comedy show. But the newspaper still captioned the picture telling its readers that Baldwin was the Republican President.
El Nacional said: “No- one spotted the mistake.”
The paper apologised to readers and “anyone affected”.
I don’t find none of this funny btw. I don’t wanna sound like the party pooper who missed the joke. Stormzy tweets on the mix- up
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